The real life adventure of comedian, writer, caterer and fun gal Vicki Ferentinos. It may not all be pretty but it is all true.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Dyke, Slut, Greece-ball....................

just say it. A few weeks ago I went to this food seminar (because I cook for a living) and there was this part on Angus beef and the woman leading it kept saying the phrase "harvesting" and I was picturing apple orchards and corn fields until it hit me she meant slaughterhouses. See how the word made it seem like a pleasant activity by calling it harvesting and how the word slaughterhouse just makes you see the blood, hear the squeals, the cries. Well...I eat beef...this is not about my vegetarian plight but really about the truth.
I am sure if you are reading this you know I ramble sometimes, have poor punctuation and I want Obama to be re-elected. More so than all of that I want the truth. I really see things in a pretty great light. I expect the ernest person to be rewarded, that everyone has kindness somewhere and if you persevere it will usually work out the best way possible, regardless if it is a completely different way than you thought but better somehow. YES, say it, I am naive...really not, hopeful.
So I was watching the Republican convention and reading everything I could and I got so upset and felt powerless....not a feeling I wear well. I guess I finally realized the words faith, Christianity, moral value have become code words for racism, homophobia and sexism.
To be honest I was christened, I believe in a higher power, sometimes I pray and on both of my parents death beds I made sure a priest blessed them because to me religion, god, faith, whatever you call it, it is a personal thing, it's vale is what it means to you. Like having faith and perseverance can change the world. Naive , I know...can't help it.
So when the platform was to make my marriage unconstitutional because of moral value and tradition (oh I am a gay and so is my wife) I heard it loud and clear SLAUGHTERHOUSE. See I can now hear it ...so just say it, you don't like the gays, you are homophobic, you don't like the fact that everyone is not white, just say it you're racist, you don't think women are smart enough to make the same money nor make decisions about their own bodies, you're sexist. I get it ...OWN IT! Say it, but the truth is the less we hear it, the less you say it the more you can sleep at night, the way harvesting is just picking the apples, shucking the corn. I guess , the years I spent in the closet, I never saw this, I had enough self hate that I couldn't see any outside of myself and frankly I didn't see how it effected me. TRUTH is....it effects all of us. I am gay...I own it. I also own the fact I feel slightly miffed when someone tells me how tough their life has been being born into so much money and opportunity and how they can never seem to gain weight no matter how much they eat..I do I don't really have a lot of empathy for them and that is probably wrong but at no point do I want to be in charge of their bodies and force mayonnaise down their neck and make their double trust fund baby marriage unconstitutional. I just want it fair......and if you won't make it fair...I will fight for it but at least make it honest so when you lay your head on your pillow at night you won't hear the turning of the corn mill but rather the squeals of the slaughterhouse to lull you to sleep.
I am fighting any way I can and feel joyful, I am writing newspapers, making phone calls and donating, and I am working on doing more...I urge you to do the same. I will not give up my power and the more we share our truths (for the good or the bad) the more chance change will occur. See when someone gets that you see the truths of their views they can't hide...from you and more importantly from themselves.
Thanks for reading. xo, Vicki

1 comment:

Hi Vicki, I was very interested to see you begin to make a connection between gay rights and the treatment of animals. This is a connection I have been making for some time now. Just as gay people are sometimes discriminated against, the same happens to animals. Unfortunately, both gay people and animals are treated unfairly and not allowed their rights simply because of who they are. It's my belief that if we are to stand against any type of discrimination, we must take a stand against all types of discrimination. In your post, you mention that what you say is "about the truth". Sadly (but truthfully), more than 56 billion animals are slaughtered yearly so that humans can feast on their flesh and secretions. Again, this is simply because of who they are and because some people believe that they should not be afforded the right to live freely and peacefully. I look at this and feel that when gay people are discriminated against, it is for the very same reason-that certain people feel that gays should not be allowed the same privileges as others. I wanted to link to some literature on the topic that I think you'll find interesting. It comes from a nonprofit organization called Our Hen House which is run by two lesbian partners who are advocates for both gay people and farmed animals. http://www.ourhenhouse.org/2011/03/our-hen-house-launches-the-gay-animal-series-featuring-nathan-runkle/